Former world champion Joe Johnson has urged boy wonder Judd Trump to not change from his attacking style, despite a poor start to the season.
Trump finished off last season, in which he claimed and then subsequently lost the number one spot in the rankings, in fine style with a run to the World Championships semi-finals in Sheffield.
But the start of this campaign has been a backward step for the left-hander who has failed to advance past the first round of any ranking event.
And with the UK Championships - a title Trump won in 2011 on the horizon to announce his arrival at the top of the world game - on the horizon, Johnson is confident that the former Keynsham Snooker Centre potter will soon be back to his best.
"He's had a quiet start to the season but how can you possibly overlook Judd Trump," said Johnson.
"He is one of the most exciting players in the game, he always attacks the balls and thinks positively.
"I hope he is not listening to anyone that is telling him to hold back, that's not Judd's natural game.
"His natural game is to put the fear of god into people and keep going for his shots so I really hope that is what he carries on doing.
"It's a fine line, playing against the top players that he has had some very fine results and some very narrow defeats, it will come good for him eventually."
The UK Championships serve as the first of the annual triple crown that includes the Masters and the worlds.
And Johnson, whose world title success in 1986 was the sole ranking event win of his career, admits it is hard to pick a winner in the new open-draw format that no longer sees the top 16 guaranteed a berth in the later rounds.
"It starts off as best of 11 frames and I'm a little sad to see it down to the best of 11s because I always like it to be best of 17s in the UK and worlds," he added.
"I thought those two shouldn't be touched but it does mean that it all depends on the draw now, which is exciting.
"If they all draw one another in the first rounds and all draw one another in the second rounds then it can change a lot."
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British Eurosport is the Home of Snooker, showing 19 tournaments this season including the World Championship, UK Championship, the Masters and all ranking events, available on Sky, Virgin Media & BT or online/on mobile via eurosportplayer.co.uk
